well being Archives - Art Biz Success
https://dy-online.com/tag/well-being/
Trusted Art Business Coaching and ConsultingThu, 27 Aug 2026 14:04:23 +0000en-US
hourly
1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4https://dy-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/favicon-2-150x150.pngwell being Archives - Art Biz Success
https://dy-online.com/tag/well-being/
3232Even when life is heavy, your art business still needs you (276)
https://dy-online.com/heavy-life/
Thu, 27 Aug 2026 03:41:19 +0000https://dy-online.com/?p=62229Artists are built to feel the world sharply. That sensitivity fuels the work, and it also means everything lands harder — headlines, illness, loss, the weddings and births and moves that pull you away from the studio. The instinct is to shut everything down.
But a business that stops moving is much harder to restart than one running on bare minimum. Here's how to keep yours afloat when you can't give it much.
Artists are a sensitive lot. You were built that way.
You’re affected by what goes on in your immediate world and what you witness outside of that bubble, and you rely on that sensitivity to make your best art. We don’t want to change that.
But it also exposes you to everything else — obstacles that wreak havoc with your studio practice and business intentions.
Maybe it’s your own illness or that of a loved one. A bully at your child’s school. A natural disaster in your community. And then there’s whatever’s playing out in the headlines this week, which is often too much to ask you to ignore.
The artist Christine Aaron dashed this lovely sentiment off in an email in response to a newsletter I sent in 2025.
What I’ve witnessed in a lot of the artists I’ve worked with is that we shut down in these situations. We detach and avoid.
It doesn’t even have to be something negative that triggers it. It could be a wedding, a long vacation, the birth of a child. Our resolve istested by all of these things.
In episode 276 of The Art Biz I make two arguments. One, keep making the art. And, two, keep the business in motion.
Listen
Keep making the art
I made the full case for this back in episode 48, “Why make art now,” at the start of COVID, and I still stand by every reason on that list. If you need the long version, go listen.
The short version is that not making art is not going to save the world. It’s doing the opposite, because one less person isn’t living up to their potential. Not making art deprives the world not only of your art, but of the entirety of you.
Making art makes you whole, and it lets you contribute to the world from a healthier position.
The poet Dana Gioia calls including art in our curricula and lives “mainstream civic common sense.” Not a luxury. Not optional. A way of knowing the world that sits alongside science and math, and one that those in power are very good at forgetting we need.
So keep making the art. That part isn’t negotiable.
Keep the business in motion
Making art is one thing. Sharing it with others, as you well know, is quite another.
And for a business to stay afloat, it’s got to stay in motion. There has to be some consistency over time, because it’s incredibly difficult to restart a business after you’ve neglected it, whether it’s for two months or two years.
I’ve watched this happen so many times to artists who innocently take time off for a family event, travel, or illness. Of course many things are unavoidable. We must tend to them.
But … What they discover is that it takes more energy to restart than to keep it going, because things change so quickly with trends and technology.
Or your list has gone cold, and you find you’re having to reintroduce yourself to the people who were once very well aware of your goings on.
Lean on the underlying machine
The way out of this predicament is to lean on a routine — an underlying machine that keeps your business almost, not quite, but almost on autopilot.
Think about what would happen if you opted out of the basic requirements for running a business. What if you didn’t make the art? Didn’t pay your bills? Didn’t pay your taxes? Didn’t update your website? Didn’t share your work with anyone?
Your business would suffer. And each thing you neglect compounds the problem.
So there has to be a way, even when life is heavy, that you keep it afloat. You need rituals, habits, routines (put in place long before they become a lifeline) that can keep going at a bare minimum.
Sometimes you have to just be okay with the bare minimum. I get that. But we have to keep the business going if we want it to be there on the other side.
There will always be room to layer more on top of the minimal routines when you are able.
]]>Leaning into art to battle depression with David Sandum (169)
https://dy-online.com/sandum-mental-health/
Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:38:00 +0000https://dy-online.com/?p=46092David Sandum's journey through depression led him to the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch—finding solace and a deep connection with their expression of raw emotions.
We discuss how art continues to be a lifeline in his struggle with depression, the tension between making art for yourself and surviving in a commercial market, and how and why he started the international Postcard Art Exhibit.
“Art was my way to manage my depression and anxiety, and heaven knows, I had tried to return to a more normal life several times only to end up in the hospital. I painted to live. It was as simple as that. It was also clear that I was an artist—that I couldn’t run away from the pictures that kept popping into my head, demanding to be born.
It was a kind of madness, really. Just look at Munch and Van Gogh. To think that they’d set out on this path to make money was preposterous, even humorous.”
Those are the words of artist David Sandum in his book, I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression & Discovering Art.
In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with David, who was driven to take up art personally and then professionally after being hospitalized with depression in 2001.
His journey through depression led him to the works of Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch—finding solace and a deep connection with their expression of raw emotions.
We discuss how art continues to be a lifeline in his struggle with depression, the tension between making art for yourself and surviving in a commercial market, and, related, why he chose to focus on a series of Auschwitz paintings over seemingly more market-friendly paintings of beaches.
We also talk about how he organized a community of artists on what was then Twitter to begin an annual international exhibition and fundraiser that has been going on since 2010. The Twitter Art Exhibit has evolved into the Postcard Art Exhibit, which accurately reflects its contents.
Heads up that you’ll hear David abbreviate it repeatedly—and understandably—as PAE.
David speaking at the opening of TAE22 in York, England, dressed as a Viking returning to York.
Quotes
“If we accept that depression is an illness, it actually prevents you from feeling good. So we’d almost go against the character of depression to look for happy, smiling pictures.”
“For me, it’s been very important to always be truthful, and that’s not always easy.”
“If an artist considers his audience constantly, you sort of get in trouble.”
“Discovering art and starting to draw and paint wasn’t just something I did in some therapeutic way. It was like an obsession.”
“The desire to create art was so strong that I wasn’t thinking of a career.”
“You can’t be a full-time artist and not think commercially in some way.”
“I love the fact that we interpret art differently. I’m not as keen anymore to explain to people what it means or what I felt. I’m more interested in what they feel and how they interpret.”
Related Episodes
These episodes feature artists who have, like David and his Postcard Art Exhibit, organized numerous artists for a major exhibition or project that spans multiple years.
Born and raised in Sweden, David Sandum was educated in the U.S. in the 1990s. After returning to Scandinavia with his young family and working in IT sales, he began to struggle with severe depression. During this difficult time he began to draw and paint, inspired by Edvard Munch’s philosophy that we should all write or paint our life story.
Since then, David pursued a career in art. He has participated in group exhibitions and solo gallery shows, completed public art commissions in Norway and Denmark, and undertaken study trips to New York City, Prague, and Amsterdam. He was accepted to work at the prestigious printmaking studio Estudi de Gravat Ignasi Aguirre Ruiz in Barcelona under master printer Ignacio.
]]>The Art Biz ep. 113: Self-Care for Caregiving Artists with Shimoda Donna Emanuel
https://dy-online.com/caregiving-shimoda-podcast/
Thu, 30 Dec 2021 12:18:41 +0000https://dy-online.com/caregiving-shimoda-podcast/How do you take care of yourself when so many others are demanding your attention? Whether it's kids or older adults, you feel a sense of obligation. And you truly want to help. But you're no good for others if you aren't in good shape for yourself.
In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Shimoda Donna Emmanuel. Shimoda has been the caregiver in her family, primarily for her mother Izola who recently passed after living with Alzheimer's, but also for an ailing sister. Her book, Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving, has tips for stitching yourself together when caring for someone else. We discuss her routine, how she keeps her home to maintain a high vibration, tools she uses to de-stress and to stay calm, and how gratitudes and "the rage dance" fit into all of this.
Shimoda, mom Izola Emanuel, and husband Luther hanging out in the summer sun.
Shimoda Donna Emanuel Quotes
“I’ve got to take care of myself. The caregiver has to take care of themselves.”
“I’ve got to keep my energy high and keep my vibration high. That’s what’s most important to me.”
“It’s just not good to hold it all in. I can get through emotions quicker if I just let myself deal with the feelings.”
About My Guest
Shimoda Donna Emanuel is an artist living in Harlem, New York. Shimoda Accessories has a range of work that includes intuitive jewelry and fiber art. Her art has been on HGTV as well as the covers of Essence magazine and other publications. Her art is available for purchase at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
As a caregiver for her sister and then 97-year young mom with Alzheimer’s, Shimoda wrote Sacred Stitches: The Art of Caregiving. This colorful book offers tips, creative exercises, and rituals for other caregivers.
Shimoda also published Sacred Stitches: Fiber Art Dolls for the Soul and Sacred Stitches, an inspirational 25-piece card deck.
Follow Shimoda on Instagram: @shimodaaccessories
]]>Leaning Into Creativity in Times of Pain with Rich Simmons (112)
https://dy-online.com/cure-simmons-podcast/
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:29:00 +0000https://dy-online.com/cure-simmons-podcast/We need art. Some of us need it more than others. For some of us, it's as necessary as the air we breathe. Rich Simmons insists that art saved his life. Rich has struggled with depression and was eventually diagnosed with Aspergers. The realization that making art could make him feel better was life changing, and he wanted other people to know about this. In 2008 he started Art Is The Cure to inspire people to turn to creativity in times of pain.
]]>Many years ago I heard poet and critic Dana Gioia speak to a group of arts leaders. At the time he was head of the National Endowment for the Arts and found himself in the position of making a case for the value of the arts in our lives and in our educational system.
“Art completes our humanity,” I recall him saying. Now it’s quite possible that I am misremembering the entire keynote address, but it made a huge impact on me so I’m giving him credit.
The point I recall most strongly was how much some kids need art to relate to the world. Math and science are all good, but, Gioia’s argument as I remember it, was that we are complicated beings, not just analysts. We have emotions, desires, and fears that can’t be explored or expressed through science and math alone.
We need art. Some of us need it more than others. For some of us, it’s as necessary as the air we breathe. I talked about it on this post and podcast episode.
My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Rich Simmons, a London-based artist who insists that art saved his life.
Rich is not an art therapist, but he is an an advocate for the therapy of an art practice. He knows from first-hand experience that art heals.
Rich has struggled with depression and was eventually diagnosed with Aspergers. The realization that making art could make him feel better was life changing, and he wanted other people to know about this. In 2008 he started Art Is The Cure to inspire people to turn to creativity in times of pain. He thinks of himself as a catalyst to help with the healing process, and relies on 3 words to guide him and others: inspiration, community, and movement.
Art has given his life purpose.
You’ll discover that Rich has many balls up in the air. He makes murals, gives workshops, sells prints, has recently entered the NFT market, and is starting a podcast. And that is just scratching the surface of his ambitions.
Highlights
“I was thrown into the deep end.” Rich’s unusual entry into the art world. (2:51)
Rich started on his artistic path at a very young age by trading art with his grandfather. (7:57)
Discovering art as a form of creative therapy amidst personal turmoil. (11:49)
The act of creative release has expanded Rich’s spectrum and allows him to make better art. (17:44)
Art Is The Cure gave Rich the purpose he needed to move forward. (24:50)
How to channel your negative energy in a way that affects change. (33:48)
Finding inspiration, community, and movement, and what to do when art is the source of your stress. (36:50)
Rich’s income sources and his approach to creating a continual stream of potential clients. (41:50)
“I want to give back to art because art saved my life.”
“I like to say yes to opportunities no matter what it is and try to figure out how to do it.”
“I realized I had found my own version of art therapy, and I needed to help other people discover their own version of art therapy.”
“An artist’s job is not only to be a storyteller but to evoke emotions.”
“I couldn’t be an inspiration for people if I wasn’t looking after myself.”
“You can be the messenger about how powerful art can be.”
About My Guest
Rich Simmons is an Urban Pop artist who has exhibited all over the world. Simmons\’ work explores the intersections of visual culture, spanning pop art, comic books, the Renaissance, contemporary fashion, sexuality, and beyond.
Simmons bold use of color, intricately detailed hand-cut stencils, sense of humor, and the thought-provoking narratives running through his work prove Rich is both an innovator and highly collectible artist.
Simmons is also the creator and founder of Art Is The Cure, a vInspired award-winning organization promoting art therapy, and has run workshops and talks around the world.
Shimoda Donna Emanuel is an artist living in Harlem, New York. Shimoda Accessories has a range of work that includes intuitive jewelry and fiber art. Her art has been on HGTV as well as the covers of Essence magazine and other publications. Her art is available for purchase at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
As a caregiver for her sister and then 97-year young mom with Alzheimer’s, Shimoda wrote Sacred Stitches: The Art of Caregiving. This colorful book offers tips, creative exercises, and rituals for other caregivers.
Shimoda also published Sacred Stitches: Fiber Art Dolls for the Soul and Sacred Stitches, an inspirational 25-piece card deck.
Follow Shimoda on Instagram: @shimodaaccessories
Rich Simmons is an Urban Pop artist who has exhibited all over the world. Simmons\’ work explores the intersections of visual culture, spanning pop art, comic books, the Renaissance, contemporary fashion, sexuality, and beyond.